Anonymous asked:
If my character is self harming by cutting, and they are over the age of 18, how would they know if they cut too deep? What would the hospital do once they arrived?
To answer this question, I’d like to do a mini-lesson on the….
To understand the effects of a cut or laceration, its best to understand the fundamentals of theIntegumentary System. After all, our skin is not only our largest organ, but it’s made up of many different layers. Think of a Wonka everlasting Gobstopper.
Yep, just like that. Melting and all. /s
There are 3 major layers to understand about the skin. The Epidermis, Dermis, and Hypodermis.
The Epidermis is the only layer you can actually see (assuming that your skin is intact) which is why it’s what you think of when you think of skin. The Dermis just below it is where most of the work that skin does gets done, like sweat and circulating blood and feeling everything..everywhere..all the time.
On the very bottom is the Hypodermis, or subcutaneous, composed mostly of adipose fatty tissue. Each of these layers have additional layers and properties, from deep to superficial, these layers are the stratum basale, stratum spinosum, stratum granulosum, and stratum corneum.
So at what point is a cut too deep?
Well, for starters, any wound deeper than 0.25 in. (6.5 mm) will require medical attention. This may be steri-strips (butterfly stitches) or Nylon or Polypropylene type of sutures. A deeper wound will take much longer to close up on its own, especially if the person is moving around and the wound is in a place of constant movement (think your neck, your fingers, the bottom of your feet, ect) Not to mention, an open wound is at risk for infection. Hence why you’d want that sucker closed up.
How would a person know if a cut is too deep?
Yep. The good ‘ol sign of red – Bleeding.
If you haven’t been able to stem bleeding after 10-15 minutes, you need stitches to help close up the wound and aid in clotting.
What would the hospital do when they arrived? Well, let’s play with the scenario that someone called an ambulance for the victim and EMT’s/Paramedics are on the scene. This is typically done for a person who has self-harmed and created an injury of uncontrolled bleeding. We see this depicted a lot in TV/Movies when someone slices their wrists open.
At this point they’ve not only cut through a blood vessel, but also an artery (radial, ulnar, or both, leading to brachial artery. This artery can bleed quickly if lacerated) The first thing they would do is the 3 P’s – pressure, pressure, pressure. That’s the most important step with a bleeding victim. A paramedic might administer a coagulation(clotting) medication, but otherwise their goal is to get the victim to the emergency department A.S.A.P for further treatment.
Treatment varies depending on circumstance. A self-harm patient almost never cuts deep enough to need to clamp an artery, but they could require surgical repair on it. There are basically two end points for either veins or arteries: repair it or ligate it. Again, a self-harm patient almost never ends up in this situation. Once their self-inflicted cuts are sutured up (if required) they’d be held under a 48-72 hour hold for mental health and possibly admitted to a Behavioral Health Unit for additional psychiatric help. The age really only comes into play with parental guardianship. If under 18, parents/guardians would be contacted.
Thanks for the whumpy question!!
